PLATFORM

OUR PLATFORM

$15 MINIMUM WAGE

There is no doubt that income inequality is one of the most important issues we face today. Nationwide, progressives are fighting for increased wages for our lowest income workers – and WINNING that fight. We believe Olympia is the kind of community that stands up for what’s right. Help us fight for $15 in Olympia, and beyond!

A DOWNTOWN THAT WORKS FOR ALL

It’s simple. When we don’t include everyone in our planning, we get plans that don’t work. We need residents, businesses, social services – EVERYONE – at the table. This year, the City of Olympia is embarking on a major Downtown Master Plan – we ALL should have a say in that plan. It’s OUR Downtown.

POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

All over the country, and now right here in Olympia we see clear and undeniable proof that we need to change the way we police. A Citizen Justice Review Board, independent and public review of use of force incidents, body and dash cameras, and advanced deescalation and cultural competency trainings for ALL OPD staff are ways we can do better in Olympia.

Better Thurston​

​​We’re all about people having MORE access to government, and government being driven by the people. The Better Thurston movement does just that. We wholeheartedly support this move toward more direct, responsive democracy in Thurston County.

Deschutes Estuary

​It’s pretty clear. The dam needs to come out, and the estuary needs to be restored. The lake is not a manageable nor cost-effective option, and the City of Olympia should encourage the State to do what’s right for the health of the Salish Sea and surrounding environment.

Open Public Process

Budgeting, zoning, code review, long range planning, shorelines, density, heights, parks and sidewalks… Decisions get made at City Hall every single day that directly effect YOUR life. We want YOU to be a part of those decisions.

Participatory Democracy

Create an annual budget process that is participatory and engaging.

Require all new development projects to get feedback from neighborhoods before plans are submitted for code review.

Institute annual town hall meetings and State of the City address from the Mayor.

Diversity/Inclusion

Pass an Inclusive Restroom Ordinance that requires all new buildings or major renovations in the city to include accessible gender-inclusive bathrooms.
Add “gender identity” “economic class” and “housing status” to the language of the City’s Non-discrimination policies.

Mandate that the city produces a report on employment diversity for city staff every five years, and instructs city departments to adopt policies in order to improve diversity.

Address systemic racism and implicit bias in our Comprehensive Plan, and set goals toward addressing the issues in the broader community.

Parks

Ensure that ALL Olympians, and especially any new residential development in Olympia have easy access to parks and green space.

Restore parks maintenance funding to adequate levels in order to maintain our current parks, and handle increased acreage.

Youth

Develop and institute an Olympia Youth Office, including a phone, desk, and staffer at City Hall and $100k/year annual budget.

Create a seat on every City of Olympia advisory committee that is dedicated to a youth representative.

Facilitate an Annual Youth Summit to bring youth together and engage them in community issues.

Seniors

Increase funding to senior programs to ensure that every senior in our community has access to three healthy meals a day.

​Work with regional partners to provide seniors with free access to public transportation and vanpool services.

Support zoning and incentives for senior living that is close to transportation so that seniors may live healthy robust lives.

Adopt the housing first philosophy of ending homelessness and shift funding priorities to programs that work within the housing first model. Let’s end homelessness as we know it!

Olympia For All

We started this work not to win one election and go away, but to get people engaged for the long haul.

We’re a group of people who have been active in our community for years, decades even, and we’ve seen how poorly government works when the people aren’t engaged in the process.

We strive to engage, educate, and empower young people who have never voted because they don’t see the point, people of color who don’t get involved because they’ve been pushed to the side by the system, LGBTQ people who don’t trust the system because they’ve been too often ignored by it – people who are poor, working class, homeless, etc, who have become marginalized by a system that benefits only those with privilege.​